Method and apparatus for infeed of accumulator

1. A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to roll a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed; and

based on the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed includes:

providing sensors at distances on the log transfer device;

configuring the sensors to sense movement of the log on the log transfer device, generate signals representative of the movement of the log on the log transfer device, and transmit the signals to the controller; and

based on the generated signals, enabling the controller to determine the time for the log to pass from a sensor to a subsequent sensor.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the step of determining the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed includes determining an acceleration of the log on the log transfer device based on the sensor distances and the respective times for the log to pass from the sensor to the subsequent sensor on the log transfer device.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein the step of determining the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed includes determining a velocity of the log entering the bucket infeed based on the acceleration, the sensor distances, and the respective times for the log to pass from the sensor to the subsequent sensor on the log transfer device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop with at least one of an intermittent motion and a continuous motion.

6. A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to deliver a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed; and

based on the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device; and further comprising:

with the controller enabled for a continuous motion operation of the continuous loop, with the controller determining an index time to move a bucket in the plurality of buckets from a bucket initial position to the bucket infeed based upon the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed with allocation for acceleration and deceleration of the bucket and with allocation of time for a subsequent log entering the entrance to the log transfer device; and

enabling the controller to send signals to the drive based upon the index time.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising determining the bucket initial position based on a bucket start position and a bucket position offset.

8. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

providing at least three sensors on the log transfer device, a first sensor being provided at the entrance of the log transfer device, the third sensor being provided prior to the bucket infeed, and the second sensor being between the first sensor and the third sensor, each of the sensors being adapted and configured to send a signal to the controller when the log passes the sensor; and

determining (i) a first sensor time for the log to roll on the log transfer device from the first sensor to the second sensor; (ii) a second sensor time for the log to roll on the log transfer device from the second sensor to the third sensor; and (iii) an acceleration of the log on the log transfer device based on a first distance between the first sensor and the second sensor, a second distance between the second sensor and the third sensor, and the first sensor time and the second sensor time.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

determining a velocity of the log at the second sensor based on the acceleration of the log, the second sensor time, and the distance between the second and third sensors.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising:

determining a velocity of the log at the third sensor based on the velocity of the log at the second sensor, the acceleration of the log, and the second sensor time.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

determining a third sensor time corresponding to a time for the log to pass from the third sensor to the bucket infeed based upon the determined velocity of the log at the third sensor, the acceleration of the log, and the distance between the third sensor and the bucket infeed.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

determining a velocity of the log at the bucket infeed based upon the third sensor time, the distance between the third sensor and the bucket infeed, and the third sensor time.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:

enabling the controller to control machinery upstream of the log transfer device based on the determined velocity of the log at the bucket infeed.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the step of enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that the bucket is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to receive a log from the log transfer device includes:

enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop based upon the third sensor time, a distance of the bucket from the bucket infeed, a velocity of the bucket and an acceleration of the bucket.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed is based upon the first sensor time, the second sensor time, and the third sensor time.

16. A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to deliver a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed; and

based on the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device; and

with the controller enabled for intermittent operation of the continuous loop, determining a next index time to move a bucket in the plurality of buckets from a bucket initial position to the bucket infeed based upon time for the log to move from the entrance to the log transfer device to the bucket infeed with allocation of time for a subsequent log to enter the entrance of the log transfer device, dwell time at the bucket infeed, and with allocation for acceleration and deceleration of a bucket in the plurality of buckets.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising:

determining an index distance based upon a bucket initial position and the bucket infeed position.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising:

determining an index velocity of the bucket based on the index distance, the next index time, and an initial velocity of the bucket.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

determining a bucket acceleration based upon the bucket index velocity.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

determining a stop distance based upon a dimension of the bucket.

21. The method of claim 20 , further comprising:

determining a bucket index stop time with allocation for acceleration and deceleration of the bucket.

22. A method for controlling motion of an accumulator with a control system, wherein the control system has a controller, the accumulator has a plurality of buckets on a continuous loop, the continuous loop is driven by a drive, the drive is in communication with the controller, the controller is adapted and configured for controlling motion of the continuous loop through the drive, each bucket of the plurality of buckets of the accumulator is adapted and configured to receive, hold and release a log, the accumulator has a log transfer device, the log transfer device is adapted and configured to deliver a log from an entrance of the log transfer device to a bucket infeed on the accumulator, the bucket infeed is adapted and configured to receive a log from the log transfer device and allow a bucket of the plurality of buckets to receive the log from the log transfer device, the method comprising:

with at least one sensor in communication with the controller, determining a time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed; and

based on the time for the log to roll from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed, enabling the controller to control the accumulator drive to move the continuous loop such that a bucket in the plurality of buckets is positioned at the bucket infeed with sufficient time to allow the bucket to receive the log from the log transfer device; and

enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop with at least one of an intermittent motion and a continuous motion based upon a comparison of a log cycle time with a bucket cycle time, wherein the log cycle time is based upon the time for the log to move from the entrance of the log transfer device to the bucket infeed and a time for a subsequent log to enter the entrance of the log transfer device, wherein the bucket cycle time is based upon the time for a bucket to move from a bucket initial position to the bucket infeed with allocation for bucket acceleration, bucket deceleration, bucket initial velocity, bucket dwell time at the bucket infeed, and bucket maximum safe operating velocity;

wherein the step of enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop with the intermittent motion includes determining the log cycle time is greater than the bucket cycle time; and

wherein the step of enabling the controller to send signals to the drive of the accumulator to move the continuous loop with the continuous motion includes determining the log cycle time is less than the bucket cycle time.